The present invention relates to a traction device. In many cases, postural mechanical spine pain and pain in appendages is caused by the fact that standing erect causes, over time, shortening of the distances between adjacent vertebra with concurrent squeezing of disks between adjacent vertebra and the resultant compression of nerve endings that cause pain sensation.
The medical industry has been able to do little to reduce the amount of suffering from postural mechanical spine pain. A cyclical effect occurs when repetitive motions and mechanical loads create muscular tension in the spine and body appendages. These sensitized tensions are further compounded by additional stress and strain, resulting in muscular-skeletal breakdown and postural mechanical spine pain. Most people cannot stop their daily activities that may be responsible for creation of tension in the spine. Accordingly, most people experience low-back, shoulder and neck pain that require a myriad of remedies employed in an attempt to ease pain. At present, the main remedies consist of prescribing of drugs, bed rest, or in severe cases, performance of surgery. Surgery can be expensive and the recuperation time can be extensive. Often, a patient cannot afford to rest in bed for the time period necessary to heal a postural mechanical spine injury. Of course, drugs prescribed to alleviate such spine pain may be highly addictive, leaving the patient with a residual problem once such spine pain has been alleviated.
As such, a need has developed for a device that can not only alleviate spine pain and pain in related appendages but also can be used by a healthy patient to prevent or delay the onset of spine pain. It is with this need in mind that the present invention was developed.
Applicant is aware of PCT application PCT/GB95/00155 to Summers that discloses a back rest device including an arcuate back supporting portion made up of two parallel rows of upstanding rectangular members laterally spaced from one another by respective scalloped recesses. The scalloped recesses are designed to receive the vertebra of the user and the rectangular portions are designed to support portions of the user's back to either side thereof. Summers discloses that his device may be usable while sitting in a chair. The present invention differs from the teachings of Summers as contemplating two spaced rows of protuberances with an elongated slot therebetween free of scalloped recesses and with adjacent protuberances in each row being spaced with scalloped recesses in the axial direction. The present invention also contemplates the use of pressure intensity adjusting infills positioned laterally outwardly of the rows of protuberances to facilitate support of muscle tissues of the back.
Applicant is also aware of U.S. Pat. No. 4,189,182 to Rhoe and U.S. Pat. No. 5,328,245 to Marks et al. The present invention differs from the teachings of these references for the reasons set forth above concerning the PCT application to Summers.